Silence
by blueeyes625
Summary: What would have been an average boring day at the archery shop turned out to be more than what she expected. AU Zelink


Disclaimer.

Note: I had originally planned this story with Zelda having grown up under the identity of Sheik her whole life, much like Wind Waker's Tetra. Please take that into consideration while reading. Story has been edited.

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Silence was a state of mind, she thought as she listened to her superior rattle on. A state of being that only comes when one is truly at peace.

A luxury she had only experienced, it seemed, when she was trying to sleep. She was scarcely left alone and even when she was, she was on a tight leash never to break free. Impa, her guardian, had made sure of that.

She smiled and nodded and finally the grumpy store manager grunted returning to where he came from. Before he exited the door he spoke, he told her to get back to work.

With a sigh, she complied slipping behind the dusty cashier and soon after, a quiet jingle sounded, alerting her of the now opened door. Her eyes fluttered to the passageway, taking in the new customer.

Many people came into the archery shop, but there were few who were ever fairly good at the game. But every once in awhile, the unlikely one surprised her coming up with a decent score, although not ever coming near enough to her own.

It was curious, she thought, that one as young as he would come in to an adult shop. He looked no younger than she, maybe two or three years her senior. Most of her customers had graying hair, old warriors from post wars looking to brush up on a seemingly forgotten skill that they had lost with age and domestication. This young man however was neither.

He was young, handsome and fit. He was muscled, yes, but not like the other young men she was used to seeing. He was both rugged and weary from travel and he could have easily been mistaken for a beggar if it were not for the equipment he carried with him.

A small smiled played upon his lips as he grinned at her. She flushed lightly under her cowl, thankful that he couldn't see it. He brushed a lock of his dirty blond hair out of his blue eyes as he approached the desk.

"How much for one go?" he asked tilting his head in the direction of the shooting gallery.

"Twenty rupees," she replied coolly, keeping her demeanor carefully stoic. He eyed her with mild interest like most people did before handing over the red jewel.

Taking it as she fiddled with the small charm in her hands – a Sheikah medallion that was shaped in the form of a Keaton – she watched him pick up the bow and stand in front of the targets.

"Hit ten, you get your rupees back, hit fifteen you get a bigger bomb bag. Get all thirty and I'll give you a special prize." She drawled boredly. He glanced at her and smiled almost smugly.

"Then this shouldn't be any problem then," he said. She raised a brow, carefully hidden behind her bangs.

"Hmm..." she replied with noncommittally hum. _'We'll see…'_ she thought watching him angle the bow with practiced ease.

It was at this point she couldn't help but notice the bright light fluttering around him, but he didn't seem to discern it.

'_Could it be? A forest fairy?'_ she pondered silently. From what she had heard, they were nothing more than a mere myth, but having now seen the creature with her own eyes, she filed the information away in her mind for later.

She had not time to contemplate it as he shot his first arrow from his quiver. She showed no change of expression as he managed to hit every target each time, a bull's-eye no less.

She had to admit, she was surprised. He was the first customer in what must have been ages to hit each target successfully.

He came over to her with a child-like grin and she silently sighed. This guy was way too handsome for his own good.

"So, how'd I do?" he asked, his deep voice soothing and somewhat husky. She wondered if it was always like that, or if he was like that after he did something.

"A perfect score. Congrats." She replied amused.

She handed over the piece of heart to the young man who thanked her and turned to go. "Although, if you had beaten _my_ score, however, _that_ would have been quite something," she lightly taunted and mentally counted down in her head. _'Five…four…three…two…ah! There we go!_

He stopped in his place and turned around. '_Figures a silly taunt like that would get to him,'_ she inwardly rolled her eyes. _'Men,'_

"Oh?" he asked, his curiosity piqued now. He walked back to the counter. "And just what is your score?" he inquired curiously.

How on earth this scrawny kid could have beaten his score was beyond the ranger. '_Ah'_, a voice reminded him in his head, '_but he is of the Sheikah'_ and as he had learned from his travels, looks can be deceiving.

"Why don't I show you?" she challenged. "We can have a friendly match between acquaintances. It has been far too long since I have met an equal at archery," she added thoughtfully.

He nodded with a silly grin. "Sound good," he agreed, he scrutinized her carefully. "I too have found it rather hard to find anyone who has enough skill to string a bow let alone use it." Blue met red. "Three days from now sound good to you?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes, but hero, remember as a wise man once said, 'if you play with fire be prepared to get burned.'" He chuckled.

"Hero?" he queried and she nodded with a soft grunt.

"You resemble the ancient Hero of Time," was all he got.

'_Should have figured a Sheikah would give me short answers,'_ he scoffed in his mind. _'Ah, but I've got nothing better to do, so what the heck?' _"Friday?"

"Friday," she confirmed with a curt nod of acknowledgement. _'Finally,' _she mused_. 'Things are just starting to get interesting around here…'_

The exchanged goodbyes and she watched him go. The odd sense of familiarity she had felt when he had first arrived was undeniable but it was only a faint recollection.

The door closed and then opened again not a minute later. She glared at the door, scaring her customer ever so slightly. She eased up and forced a hidden smile.

She took the money that the customer paid and set up a new pair of targets. While the man tried to shoot she flicked the Keaton charm into the air and watched as gravity took its toll on the small item.

'_Yes,' _she smiled, ending her silent soliloquy. _'Things are definitely going to change around here.'_

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A/N: Constructive criticism welcomed.


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